Alphaquest Instructions

Letters - Use the arrow keys, or wasd, to collect letters that belong to each proverbial phrase, and to avoid contact with letters that do not. Collected letters will remain in the phrase above or the incorrect letter spaces below until a ship is lost or the level is passed. Wildcard letters are random and are always part of the phrase. Wildcards begin appearing about midway through each level.

Space Objects - Use the arrow keys to avoid space objects, such as asteroids, or press space bar to shoot them. Colliding with a space object reduces the lifebar by one notch. Dwarf planets must be shot twice to be destroyed. Meteors restore two life bar notches when destroyed, and comets add one available bomb when destroyed.

Special Features - Each attempt at passing a level begins with one bomb and a full lifebar. Bombs destroy all asteroids and are detonated by holding space bar. Use the arrow keys to avoid shots fired by saucers, which reduce the lifebar by one notch. Saucers must be shot twice to be defeated and receive immunity. The immunity shield lasts for several seconds, during which time the ship is immune from anything that can cause lifebar damage.

Levels - A level is passed once all correct letters have been collected. Each ensuing level has increased frequency of space objects and saucers. A ship is lost when a seventh incorrect letter is collected or the tenth and final lifebar notch is lost. The level must then be reattempted. The game begins with five ships and ends once all five are lost. Pass all 15 levels to complete the entire game. Press p to pause during a level.

Scoring - Points are determined by letter score and bonus score. Letter score is the number of letters collected multiplied by level number multiplied by ten. Bonus score begins with a maximum four hundred points on each level, but is reduced by decreasing amounts for each incorrect letter collected. When a level is reattempted, letters that had been previously collected are not scored when collected again, and no bonus score can be earned.